Lifting-clamp for well-casings.



E. KIBELE.

LIFTING CLAMP FOR WELL CASINGS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 17. 1914. RENEWED APR. 9. 1911.

1.31.61 6. Patented July 1917.

' 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

E. KIBELE.

LIFTING CLAMP FOR WELL CASINGS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 17, 1914. RENEWED APR. 9. 1917'.

Patented July 3, 1917 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mart n screens reroute op nion EUGENE KIBELE, F CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR TO SOUTHERN "WELL WORKS CC'llIPANY, 01E CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, .Ei. CORPQBLATIOl-T 01 TEXAE.

LIFTIIL'l'Gl-GLAMP FOR WE3L-GASING$ ins ore Specification of iletterslatent,

Patented July 3, illlil'l'o Application filed April 17, 1914, Serial No. 832,531. Renewed April 9, 1917. Serial No. 180,869.

To all @0509? it may concern: p

Be it known that I, EUGENE KIBELE, a cltizen of the United States, residing at i Chattanooga, in the county of Hamilton and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lifting- Clamps for Well-Casings; and'l do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art'to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying clrawings, and to the letters and fi es of reference marked thereon, which term a port of this specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in lifting clamps or elevators for well-casings, pipes, drill rods and other like dbjects'its primary object being the provision of at lifting clamp or elevator- Which may be readily applied to, or re moved from the casing section or other object to be lifted.

I accomplish the above object loy 0011- structing a clamp including hingcdly connected parts, or sections, ha ing coacting handles one of which carries a swinging latch and the other a keeper ada ted to readily receive the latch when the endless are swung together to close the clamp.

In this connection a. further object of my invention is to so construct the handles of the clamp sections that their grip portions,

that is the parts grasped by the operator in manipulating the clamp, will he spaced even when the clamp is closed thereby preventing pinching or jamming of the oper ators fingers when applying the clamp.

A further object which l'have in view is to mount or form the latch and 1m keeper on the handles in such a manner both with I respect to each other and the handles that,

when the clamp is closed and fastened, the mere grasping of the handles, in a natural manner, to open the clamp will free the tion in such a way that they may be brought:

together above the object engaged by the clamp to receive a single hook and so pre-- vent swinging or tilting of such object while it is being raised.

With these and other objects in view,'my invention will be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings which disclose a preferred embodiment of my liftence numerals designste corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my clamp applied to a section of well casing;

Fi 2 is a top plan view of the clamp in close position;

\ Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the clamp;

Fig. 4: is av front elevation of the clamp closed; I v I Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the clamp in open position. i

My invention primarily includes cone-ting clenip sections 10 and 11 connected at one end by a hinge pin 12 and provided at their free ends with radially extending handles 13 and is one of which carries a latch 15 while the other carries a latch keeper 16. Eails 17 are provided as an attaching means for a block and tackle or other mechanism employed to lift the clamp and object which it engages. The entire clamp is, of course, formed of metal, preferably steel, each sec tion, with its handle, being cast or otherwise iormed in a single piece, the body portions of the two sections, when the clamp is iii use, forming in efiect, a tubular band or sleeve in which the casing section to be raised is clamped.

More specifically the body portions oi. the clamp are formed at one end with intcrengaging hinge ears or lugs 18 havin alined holes to receive the pivot pin 12 tie ends of which are "needed to prevent its disengngement, its heads seating in recesses formed in the outer'iaces of the upper and lower ears to lie flush with the surface. The

of inner faces of the clamp sections when they are swung together to permit tight closing.

' 23 supports the latch,

The handles 13 and 14, as previously described extend from the free ends or edges of the body portions of the clamp sections in a radial direction, being consequently located diametrically opposite the hinge pin 12. These handles may taper in thickness toward their outer ends but in any event their inner faces are plain and smooth surfaced to bear evenly together when the clamp is in use. One of the handles, in the present instance the handle 14, is provided intermediate its height and adjacent its clamp section with a slot 19 the side faces of which are curved concentrically with respect to the hingepin 12. The other handle carries the keeper 16 which is longitudinally curved in the same manner to pass freely through the slot 19 upon swinging of the clainp sections toward or away from each other. This keeper is generally cast integrally with the handle and is so proportioned that when the clamp is closed it will project considerably beyond the handle 14:. The keeper is provided in its upper edge with a square shouldered notch 20 the sides of which are j iarallel to the outer face of the handle 1-1: when the clamp is closed, the inner face of t e notch then lying in the plane of the said handle face. Beyond this notch the upper edge of the keeper is inclincd to provide a latch engaging cam face over which the latch will ride to seat in the notch 20.

A rivet 21, or other suitable pivot swingingly supports the latch 15 which consists of a substantially rectangular plate the free end of which is proportioned to seat in the notch 20. The swinging of this latch is limited by vertically spaced pins or stop lugs 22 and 23 either cast integrally with or otherwise secured to the handle 14:. The upper lug or pin 22 merely prevents unnecessary upward movement of the latch upon. unfastening the clamp while the pin when the clamp is open, in position to be engaged by the inciined face ofthe keeper as the clamp is closed thus causing the latch to ride over the keeper to automatically seat in the notch and lock the clamp whenthe latter is closed. The inner face of the handle 14 is, of course, recessed to seat the over struck end of the rivet 21 so that the handles may closely engage each other.

ln order to produce a ready and in fact practically automatic means for releasing the latch the handles 13 and 14 have their lower edges cut away intermediate their length to provide registering finger-receiving openings 24:. Upon grasping the free ends of-the handles, one in each hand, to open the clamp, the fingers of the right hand enter the opening 24 of the handle 14: and engage the lower edge of the latch 15 that upon gripping the handles the latch is raised and freed from the keeper. To facilitate such grasping of the handles their lower free end portions are flared or curved away from each other to provide grip 25 which, even when the clamp is closed are spaced sufficiently to permit the fingers of both hands to be inserted between them.

This construction also renders it impossible for the operator to pinch or jam his fingers between the handles when opening or closing the clamp. The lower edges of the grips 25 are preferably inturned or thickened interiorly to provide shoulders 26 which prevent the handles from slipping out of the operators hands.

The clamp sections are provided intermediate their hinge ends and handles with vertically disposed radially projecting eyes 27 diametrically located, when. the clamp is closed, and preferably cast integrally with their respective clamp sections. These eyes receive the bails 17 as clearly shown in the drawings. Each bail is in the form of an elongated, closed ring wider at its upper than at its lower end and with its upper end curved inwardly so that when the bails are swung up and bear against the outer faces of the clamp their upper ends will stand in relatively close relation to each other. Because of this a single grab hood 28 carried by the cable 29 of a block and tackle or other lifting mechanism, not shown, may? be passed through both bails thereby dis-1" tributing the strain equally upon both clamp sections and preventing swinging or tilting of the clamp and supported casing section or pipe. The upper portions of the bails are preferably thickened to strengthen them and to provide flat faces 30 which engage each other under strain upon the bails, oo

resulting in added steadiness. i To raise a casing section, pipe or other.

object the clamp in open position is brought into engagement with the object to be raised and the'handles then swung together no to close the clamp about the object, the latch positively holding the clamp when it is closed, as previously explained. This may be done while the clamp is suspended from the hoisting cable 29, if not previously. The clamp may be removed by grasping the handles and swinging the sections apart, the grasping of the handles releasing the latch in the manner described.

From the above description it will be apparent that my improved lifting clamp is simple in construction, durable and convenient in operation. It will of course be understood that various changes in size, shape and proportion found desirable by circumstances may be made. In fact I do not wish in any way to limit myself to'the specific details illustrated and described as any minor changes in detail, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made whenhinged at one end to swing toward and away from each other, handles carried by the free ends of the sections, and a gravity latch for securing the handles together, one of the handles'being formed with an opening in its lower portion beneath the latch to permit the latch to be released by the hand in grasping the handle.

2. A lifting clamp or elevator for Well casings including coacting clamp sections hinged at one end, handles carried by the free ends of the sections engaging each other when the sections are swung together, and coacting latch and keeper members carried by the handles, one handle having a finger receiving opening over which the latch extends.

3. A lifting clamp or elevator for Well casings including coacting clamp sections hinged at one end, handles carried by their tree ends, and means for positively holding the handles together, the free ends of the handles at adjacent edges having down wardly extending spaced members to serve as hand grips in opening and closing tin-re clamp.

4:. A lifting clamp or elevator for well casings including swingingly comiectcd.

clamp sections having radially extending,

handles at their free ends, said handles having at their outer ends downwardly and outwardly spaced hand grips, the lower portion of the handles back of said grips being formed with openings to receive a portion of the hand in grasping the grips, and a keeper and latch for holding the handles together.

In testimony whereof atfix my, signalture in presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE KIBELE. 

